Indian bespoke tailoring

[phenom]

Hi all,

I will be going to Chennai, India for medical school, starting this summer. I was born and raised in the US but I am of Indian descent.

I wanted to get some bespoke suits done by Syed Bawkher in Chennai, I heard some really good things about him.

A previous forum member who is no longer active on this forum visited him with raving reviews. The links, courtesy of Google's cache,

Indian bespoke experience (incredibly detailed and very interesting):
(Page 1) http://shortlink.co.uk/8i8
(Page 2) http://shortlink.co.uk/8i9

I will be in Chennai for 4.5 years with intermittent visits back to the States, so I will definetely have time to form a good relationship with him.

Couple questions for you guys:
1) Since it seems India sets high tarriffs for fabric, it might be more cost effective for me to bring fabric from the States. What is the best place for me to go and pick out items for this type of thing? Are there any fabrics you guys can recommend or books where I can learn about this type of stuff?

I have been reading "Style and the Man" by Flusser, but that doesn't seems to go into detail about fabrics. It is good for building up my basic knowledge about tailoring though.

2) What type of questions should I ask him in particular?

Thank you guys so much and take care.

 

[AlanC]

FYI, I contacted Bawkher about pricing for shirts a few weeks ago and was very surprised when they quoted me a base price of $100/shirt. By Indian standards that's outrageous. I had shirts made in Hyderabad a year ago for a base of around $15 (including fabric), although I would be willing to pay more for better quality. It better be a nice shirt for $100.

I will say, though, that both times I have sought internet quotes for pricing in India I have been quoted what I thought were outrageous prices. I wonder if that's the special 'American email price' that I'm getting.

Take a look at Bawkher, but I would recommend exploring other options, too. It sounds like you'll have time to do it. Oh, and I'd appreciate you letting me know what you find out!

 

[j]

BTW, here is the current link for that thread, in case you want to quote or anything:

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=4168

 

[dah328]

Bringing your own fabrics is generally a good idea, but particular recommendations for fabric sources would depend on where you live in the US.

 

[JLibourel]

You might consider using Indian fabrics. I've read in these fora they're not bad at all for the money, and you would certainly save a bundle whatever tailor you decide on using.

 

[globetrotter]

indian fabrics are ok, espetially shirts, and the wools aren't bad, but you can get much better quality at better prices if you bring your own.

have you spent time in india? keep in mind that the best way will be to develop a good relationship with the tailor and shirtmaker that you work with, and that the nature of the relationship will be different from what you might have with a vendor in the west.

 

[kcheng]

I wonder if the Bawkher in India is in any way the same shop as Bawkers in Singapore?

 

[operationexpat]

For what it's worth, I'm researching some leads on tailors (and pearls, AlanC

) here in Hyderabad. I'll be sure to post anything worth mentioning.

...mid-June cannot come soon enough--this heat is killing me--bring on the monsoon!

 

[AlanC]

Originally Posted by operationexpat

For what it's worth, I'm researching some leads on tailors (and pearls, AlanC

) here in Hyderabad. I'll be sure to post anything worth mentioning.

...mid-June cannot come soon enough--this heat is killing me--bring on the monsoon!

Have you visited Meena Bazaar yet? The fabric selection is pretty impressive there.

And thanks on the pearls, too.

It was a year ago that I was in Hyderabad and it was about 108 degrees Fahrenheit every day. On the bright side, it is mango season now.

 

[Balfour]

^